A photo exhibit at California State University Northridge titled “Identity and Affirmation: Post War African-American Photography” will be open until December 10th. The exhibition features approximately 125 images produced by Los Angeles African-American photographers during the post-war years 1945-1980. Drawn from nearly 850,000 images from the collections that comprise the archives of the Institute for Arts & Media at California State University, Northridge, this exhibition offers insight into the era and artistic growth and development of events shaping African-American identity in Los Angeles.
I love learning about black history and would definitely attend this event, but alas I live in Texas. But for those who are in the area, you have to make this one of your stops. This is why I enjoy photography. It gives you the opportunity to freeze a moment in time and save it to share with others. Some of the people photographed in the exhibit include The Jackson 5, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Louie Armstrong, Nat King Cole, a young Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Earlier this month, I finally got some pictures of the boys at a bluebonnet patch. I’d seen other Texas photographers do it and thought I’d give it a try also. It was a really nice day and the sun was about to set, so I had to get as many photos as I could before the sun got too low.
The biggest issue was the sun. No matter where I positioned them, the shadows were covering up their face. I tried using the flash for fill, but it didn’t do much to add light. I ended up facing them towards the sun (which explains the squinting). Getting both of them to participate and look at the camera was challenging, buy my oldest son, as usual, took to the camera and I got some good shots of him. As an added bonus I even got one of my wife.
Two years ago, I started doing self-portraits to commemorate my birthday and increase in age. Since I don’t get to be in too many photos, it gives me a chance to be in a couple and try out some new techniques. This year I decided to do some self-portraits with my boys. We have a lot of fun together and are very special to me. They keep me very busy and at times add loads of stress in my life, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. They’re my sidekicks, my boys, my lil boos and I love them with all my heart (no matter how much they get on my nerves).
Now to the technical stuff. I used my SB600 flash with a stand and umbrella and a black sheet for the background. The flash was setup directly behind my Nikon D7000. The lighting was simple, but it worked. The only thing I’d change for next time would be to add another flash on the side. During post-processing I had to lighten up my face a little. Other than that, we had a good time.
Two (2) High Quality MonoLight (3 Options: 110 Watt/s, 160 Watt/s, 180 Watt/s)
One (1) 40 Watt Flash Strobe
One (1) AC Adapter/Light Socket
One (1) 12 ft Sync Cord
One (1) Wireless Trigger
Two (2) 16″ x 24″ Softbox with Spring Ring
One (1) 33″ Black/Gold Reflective Umbrella
One (1) 33″ White Translucent Photo Umbrella
One (1) 24″ 2-in-1 Gold/Silver Reflector
One (1) Small Barndoor with Color Gels
One (1) Snoot
One (1) Huge Padded Carrying Case
I’m no pro and am new to studio lighting, so I didn’t want to go all out with an expensive setup. But after adding a couple of additional accessories, this one fell right in my price range. Plus it came in a nice compact bag that will help me keep everything organized.
I just purchased it last week, so I haven’t had the opportunity to use it much. But I was able to convince some of my favorite models to help me out before going to bed. We had a small area to work in and once again the main issue I had was focusing in low light situations. I posted some of my favorite poses below.
All in all, I’d have to say I like my new kit. I did have to buy two additional receivers because the main strobe wouldn’t trigger the slave strobe when the softbox was attached. And if I touched or moved a light the flash would sometimes misfire (not sure if it was the trigger’s fault), but it wasn’t a big deal to me because they produced more than enough light for me to photograph my subject.
As I get more photos, I’ll post them here. And as always I’d love any comments or tips you have for taking good studio photos. Shout out to Evan for letting me know about this store.
When you’re the one taking the photos, you rarely get the opportunity to be on the other side of the camera. This year, my wife and I wanted some family photos for our Christmas cards, so we enlisted the help from a friend of mine. You might remember her from a previous post as the bride of my First Wedding Assignment.
Jaclyn is a photo enthusiast like me and was pleased to help us out. She would get a little experience in taking some outdoor family portraits and I would get some family photos (a win/win situation for the both of us). For it being a first time assignment, I think she did a good job. After doing some post-processing, I’m finally getting around to posting some of the pictures. Enjoy!
